FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 55, 30 March 1909, Page 4

FARM AND DAIRY.

THE EN'CLISH BITTER MAUIvETCAISE OF TI)E SLIM P. " Agricola " writes ill the Olago \\ itncss :—Butter continues to decline, on the London market, mid lias been n great disappointment to buyers in New /ca/and. Jt lias never at any time left a margin, and Hie price now means a loss to them of a penny per lb. Three causes for the losses are apparent -viz.—(l) The prices paid were 100 high. {■>) Owing to previous high prices the consuming public have got into a way ot huyirigaml using margarine, which tliey iind cheaper and better than much of the butter, and grocers pu-h it. as they get more prolit on, it than on butter. A third cause is the phenomenally mild season at the end of the year HIOB in England, and on that point the following extract from an English paper on country life is very interesting, and throws some light outae .subject :- The vear now drawing to a close will be memorable in the annals of dairyfa ruling ; at any rale so far as the three closing months of the year are concerned, for the extraordinary luxuriant crop ot grass in the pastures, the mildness oi the weather, which continued until the -TIM hist., when we had a frost ami some snow, and the consequent abnormal How of milk. Such a season only occurs once in twenty years, and certainly a great many dairy runners have never before in their experience had such a large output of the lacteal lluid to dispose of. They will have good reason to remember the autumn and early winter of 11IUS as being one of the most profitable seasons. On the other hand, dairy factories and large milk dealers will have cause -to remember the season as one of the most disastrous, for milk lias been 100 plentiful ; the supply has been very largely in excess of the demand, in consequence of which prices of milk and wain have been kept down at summer level, and in many cases less ; and 1 am told that some of'the London firms have not been able to find an outlet for the separated milk, large quantities of which have been thrown away and wasted. Some of the factories have also had to make their large stock of cream into butter, which has only realised lid and Is per lb. This means a serious loss to the factories, as butter cannot be produced at the price, (old and frost, which have, the ell'm-l of diiui.iisliinji the secretion of milk, have been conspicuous by their absence, and the continued mild, damp and muggv weather has been most unfavourable for the storage ol cream and butter, which lias Had to ladisposed of at a loss. 1 think I may safely aver that during my twenty years' experience of dairying, dairy tanners have never had a belter season than the om- just closing, and that dairy factories have never had a worse. But nature has a wonderful mode of recompense in these .natter;.: .things comestraight in the cud. and it is more than likely that we snail ■rel some verv severe weather by and by. possibly whcii we do not want'it, which will have the effect of making the milk supply very scarce, and then the largedealers and factories will ho able to -get a hit of their own back."

ITIK KEVINS AM) BAKER FAIMT.K. Tin- factories ilml sull'ered by the failnit- of tin- above linn arc: - ,'., idge, .\Jcienicic, Kurcka, DpotiU Tauranga, Tailiain'. \\ hangarei, ami M'aimi. Tin- usual liH'tlmil nf dealing witli butler ami cheese I'm- Mliijinn-ut In I'.ngland is to exchange the bills of biding for a chcipie i-Micil against a li'tli'r of credit issued liy tin- bankers of Hie linn operating at tile oilier end. Tins 15 the safe and proper method. Iml tliere are oilier linns operating whose ehcipics an' pcrfcctlv good, even when not operatiii}: agaiusl'it letter uf cmtit. Tile Kilile of the dog anil the hone is jus! as true toilnv us'when Aesop wrote it, and these factories, in grasping at, the shadow, nii-scl the substance. Kvcry Board of Directors owe it to their suppliers and 111 selve, to make I lie most exhaustive eni|iiiries of llleir own luriikers before entrusting their oiitpnls to any new linn. We have heard that in one inlance one of the chi'ipics of the linn was held for a fortnight in the olVice with•foul being hanked to the credit of the coinpanv. If this is purred. it. is very culpable negligence, for it has been ruled that the drawer of n cheipu' has a right lo illume Hint his cheque "ill be presented within a reasonable lime. As il is nol the cn-toni of ••The Dairyman to throw water 011 a drowned nil, we do mil wi-h to In Jl'c severe than llcc.•siarv, but this failure is likely to be of great peruialient benelit to the industry, alll gh it has been such a terribly bitter expericiKv lo the companies named. 1 In future, no doubt, nil directors will take the ordinary business precautions that are taken bv trained men of business. It might he well, too, at this lime to consider the advisabreucss of establishing an insurance fund «f, say. sixpence per ton on each ton of butler, and threepence per ton on each ton of cheese, lo he paid by all exporting companies lo protect shippers against commercial disasters of this kind!— Dairyman.

'CUB AUJKKTI I'KAI l)S. LOSS IIKAV1KI! THAN I'lllsT .ISHLIKV'KI). Tin' nil creameries in tin' DiinUli Huttor Export stand to lohi t21."),lill(l, and each iiiilrmi will Imvi' ii iS years' limn with i percent, interest ami > pi'r cent, as rcpavincnt fund, which would make it fairly i-a-v fur I lie victims uf tlic Secretary nf Jusl ice's swindle. This (conijiiciils the New Zealand Dairviiiaiil is another " ex ani|,ie",,f the fully of I In- farmer try in" to lie his own merchant. A farmer, like wry one cUc. if he exacts the best resiiils, miiisl eiinlini' himself d> farming.